Hone apparatus for bread slicing machines and the like



29, 1961 J. HANSEN 2,991,825

HONE APPARATUS FOR BREAD SLICING MACHINES AND THE LIKE FiledMarch 23, 1959 Q 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. JOHN HANSEN ATTORNEY J. HANSEN 2,997,825

:cmc; MACHINES AND THE LIKE Aug. 29, 1961 HONE APPARATUS FOR BREAD SL Filed March 25, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ii? A FIG. 4 5,8

FIG.? 20

INVENTOR. JOHN HANSEN ATTORNEY United States P t nt 2,997,825 HONE APPARATUS FOR BREAD SLICING MACHINES AND THE LIKE John Hansen, 710 River Drive, Bettendorf, Iowa Filed Mar. 23, 1959, Ser. No. 801,249 19 Claims. (Cl. 51-246) This invention relates to hone apparatus for bread slicing and similar machines and relates more particularly to improvements in apparatus and mechanism of the character disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 765,113, filed October 3, 1958, which issued as Patent No. 2,961,809, dated November 29, 1960.

In the bread slicing art, the machines commonly employ a plurality of endless bands trained about parallel drums, each band being crossed intermediate its ends in figure-eight fashion so that the crossed portions of the bands afford a slicing zone in which the crossed portions run in planes normal to the axes of the drums. Prior to the advent of the honing apparatus disclosed in my aboveentitled application, it was common practice to hone the bands, either singly or in multiples less than the total number, in the slicing zone, which required that certain portions of the machine be removed for this purpose. However, improvements such as in my application identified above provide for the honing of the bands in an area remote from the slicing zone, especially in an area adjacent to one of the drums in which the portions of the band are generally coplanar, which enables the use of honing apparatus that may remain in place even during the slicing operation.

Commercial use of honing apparatus of the type just referred to has indicated the need for advancement in design, particularly in means for mounting the hone means so that it may float within limits to accommodate minor errors in adjustment, etc. Inasmuch as the bands accumulate dough, grease, and the like, it is required that they be cleaned from time to time. For this purpose, the hone means should be positionable in such manner as to enable ready access to the bands for cleaning purposes. According to the present invention, significant objects reside in improved mechanism for mounting the hone means in the floating manner referred to and additionally in such manner that the hone means may be readily displaced temporarily for access to the bands for purposes of cleaning same. Other objects pertain to economical construction and advancements in design of such nature as to materially improve upon the basic concepts disclosed in the above-entitled application.

The foregoing and other important objects and desirable features inherent in and encompassed by the invention will become apparent as a preferred embodiment thereof is disclosed, by ,way of example, in the ensuing description and accompanying sheets of drawings, the figures of which are described below.

FIGURE 1 is a plan, partly in section, of one end of a typical slicing machine embodying the improved honing apparatus.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged section as seen generally along the staggered section line 22 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a schematic representation of the figureeight fashion in which bands are trained about a pair of parallel drums in a typical slicing machine.

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged end view, with portions portions broken away, as seen generally along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 5 is a longitudinal section as seen along the staggered section line 5-5 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 6 is a section, on an enlarged scale, as seen along the line 6-6 of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is a section on the line 77 of FIGURE 5.

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FIGURE 8 is a section on the line 88 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 9 is a section on the line 9-9 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 10 is a section on the line 10-10 of FIG- URE 8.

FIGURES 1, 2 and 3 best disclose the basic slicing machine structure and related aspects of the hone. In FIG- URE 3, there is shown a pair of drums 20 and 22 about which a slicer band 24 is trained, and this band is crossed intermediate its ends, figure-eight fashion, to aiford a slicing zone 26. The typical slicer includes opposite frame members 28 and 30 which, together with other structural components to be described, make up the slicer frame or body. An upper drum shaft 32 carries the upper drum 20, and the bands are arranged in a set so that there are a plurality thereof, depending upon the number of slices in which the particular loaves are to be cut. In view of the fact that the bands cross, there will be upper and lower portions adjacent to the upper drum which are disposed thus in what may be regarded as a honing area. For purposes of clarification, these band portions will be referred to as upper and lower portions 34 and 36. In this area, the band portions 34 and 36 will be generally co-planar (FIGURE 4) as distinguished from their general upright position at the slicing zone 26. For these reasons, it has been found expedient, as outlined in any earlier application, referred to above, to hone the bands in this area.

As best shown in FIGURE 2, the frame at the side of the machine including the frame member 28 includes a frame member 38 parallel to the member 28, and these members respectively carry upper and lower brackets 40 and 42 which constitute part of the basic hone means. These brackets respectively carry cross shafts or support means, here represented by upper and lower cross shafts 44 and 46, and a suitable supporting bracket 48 is provided at the opposite side of the machine, secured to the frame member 30 and a companion member not shown, so that the shafts are rigidly supported in traversing relationship to the band portions 34 and 36, the upper shaft being located above the upper band portion 34 and the lower shaft 46 being located above the lower band portion 36. V

The shafts '44 and 46 serve as the basic support means for carrying upper and lower hone means, designated respectively in their entireties by the numerals 50 and 52. The upper hone means comprises a plurality of endto-end hones 54 suitably mounted, as by removable clips 56 or otherwise to a transverse rigid bar 58 which is in turn mounted on a hone carrier 60 supported by the upper cross shaft or support means 44. Similar construction exists as to the lower hone 'means 52 and in view of the duplicate nature of the two, it is deemed that a description of the upper hone means 50 and its carrier 60 will suffice.

The carrier 60 comprises a tubular member 62 rockably and axially shiftably carried co-axially by the upper shaft 44, as by means of bushings or bearings 63 (FIG- URE 8). The tube 62 carries midway between its ends a first am part 64 which cooperates with a second arm part 66 to mount an equalizer 68 which in turn carries the hone means 50 via the hone bar 58. The arm part 64 is split (FIGURE 5) and the two components thereof are releasably clamped together by bolts 70. Accordingly, the entire mounting means may be adjusted both angularly about and axially along the tube 62. The arm part '64 is also split lengthwise thereof so as to include a complementary lower half 72 which is secured in clamping relationship to a square extension of the arm part 66, threaded studs 74 and nuts 76 being used to secure the square portion in the socket thus provided (FIGURE 7). Compression springs 78 may be used between the clampable parts so as to enable separation 3 thereof automatically upon loosening the nuts 76. The arm 6466, thus provided, is adjustable as to length, so that the position of the hone means 50 relative to the tube 62 may be varied.

The equalizer 68 has a central hub 80 which is bored and tapped to provide internal threads for receiving a threaded extension 82 of the arm part 66. A pin 84 secures the hub 68 to the arm part 66 against relative angular movement. Since the arm part includes the square portion, the carrier is thus rigidly a part of the arm 64-66. A look nut 86 on the threaded portion 82 abuts the hub 80 to complete the assembly.

The equalizer 68 is relatively long, although shorter than the hone bar 58, and has opposite end portions 88 slotted as best shown in FIGURE 6 to loosely receive proximate portions of the hone means 50. The equalizer carries centrally thereof or substantially coaxially with its hub 68, a pivot 90 which passes through a central portion of the bar 58 for mounting the bar rockably on the equalizer. The floating movement of the bar thus afforded is limited by adjustable stops, each here comprising a set screw 92 and a lock nut 94. Thus, even though the equalizer 68 is a rigid part of the carrier 60, limited floating action of the hone means 50 relative to the carrier is permitted. This will accommodate inadvertent misalinement of the shaft 44, as when it is removed from or installed in the slicing machine. The nature of the pivot at 90 is best illustrated in FIGURE and need not be described. The inclination of the axis of the pivot 90 relative to the axis of the arm means 6466 is for the purpose of accommodating the relationship between the arm means and the blade portion 34 which, as best seen in FIGURE 2, is such that the pivot at 90 has its axis generally parallel to the band portion 34. A representative illustration of the amount and nature of the floating acting can best be seen in broken lines in FIGURE 4. This, together with the rockability of the carrier as a whole about the axis of the supporting shaft 44, as will be described later, affords a controlled motion for the hones which enables the bones to adequately engage the band portions 34. As will be seen from FIGURE 1, the overall length of the end-to-end hones S4 is such that the hone means spans or traverses the entire set of bands 24.

The theory of operation of the hone means as based on my earlier application, identified above, and repeated here in its fundamental aspects, is that the hone means 50 and 52 are engageable with the bands for cyclical operation; that is to say, during normal operation of the slicer, the hone means 50 and 52 are disengaged from the band portions 34 and 36. When the hone means is set into effect, the hone means move into engagement with the respective band portions and drive means is provided for reciprocating the hone means transversely of the bands for a limited period, followed by automatic disengagement of the hone means from the band portions. In the present case, the drive means includes an electric motor 96 suitably carried by the mounting brackets 40 and 42 and operating through a chain drive 98 to a gear housing which contains mechanism, not material here, for driving a pair of cams, one of which is the reciprocating cam 102, and the other of which is the engaging and disengaging cam 104. The reciprocating cam 102 is in the form of a reversing worm which is surrounded by a follower or cage 106 from which arms 108 project upwardly and downwardly respectively to upper and lower terminal ends. The upper end of one arm 108 rockably and nonaxially shiftably receives a bearing 110 which is coaxial with the upper shaft 44 (FIGURES 8 and 9). A similar construction exists at the lower end of the lower arm 108 relative to the lower shaft 46 and its hone carrier. The lower bearing, although not shown, has integral therewith an upstanding arm 112 which corresponds to a similar arm 114 on the bearing 110, and these two arms are linked together by a link 116 so that the two bearings are rockable in unison. A rigid apertured ear 118 is fixed to the free end of the lower arm 108 and serves as an anchor for one end of a tension spring 120 having its other end connected at 122 to the free end of the arm 114. The action of the spring is such as to urge the arms 112 and 114 in a counterclockwise direction about the axes of the respective shafts 44 and 46 as viewed in FIGURE 2.

The upper bearing is separably connected by a coupling 124 to'the upper hone carrier tube 62 so that when the coupling is connected the bone carrier partakes of the rocking movement of the bearing 110. The same is true of the corresponding carrier tube mounted on the lower shaft 46 and connected by a similar coupling to the lower bearing having the arm 112. Consequently, the spring urges the hone means 50 and 52 toward engagement with the respective band portions 34 and 36. When the motor drives the cam 102, with the hone means 50 and 52 in engagement with the band portions as noted, the hone means are caused to reciprocate back and forth across the links of the band portions, the spring 120 urging the hone means into engagement with the band portions and the floating mount, previously described as including the pivot 90 for the hone means bars, accommodating flexing of the bands and minor misadjustments of the mounting in general. The couplings when connected cause the bone carriers to move with the structure 106- 108 in the axial directions involved in the reciprocating motion just described. Moreover, the couplings cause the carriers to partake of angular movement of the arms 112 and 114, which move in unison because of the link 116, as efiected by the cam 104. For this purpose, there is rigid on the link 116 a cam follower 126 engageable by the high part of the cam 104. The speed of the cam 104 is timed with that of the worm or cam 102 so that after a predetermined number of reciprocations, the cam 104 is effective through the follower 126 and link 116, to shift the link 1 16 upwardly or to the right as viewed in FIG URE 2, whereby the hone means 50 and 52 are automatically disengaged from the band portions 34 and 36 at the end of what may be regarded as the honing operation. Preferably, the entire mechanism is automatic so that it may be manually started and will automatically discontinue. For this purpose, any suitable means, such as limit switch as shown at 128, may be employed. These details of the reciprocating and angular motion are fully disclosed in my copending application as identified above.

The details of each coupling 124 are best shown in Fl"- URES 8, 9 and 10, wherein it will be seen that the bearing 1 10 has circular flange 130 which forms one of the coupling parts. The other coupling part is a circular member 132 having a hub rigidly secured, as by welding or brazing at 134, to the proximate end of the carrier tube 62. The coupling part 130 rigidly carries, as by press fits, a pair of drive lugs or studs 136 which are respectively received in openings or radial slots 138 in the coupling part 132. The heads of the studs (FIGURE 10) are preferably square so as to improve contact. A pair of elongated threaded studs 140 are threaded into the coupling part 130 at diametrically spaced points thereon and these project respectively through arcuate slots 142 in the coupling part 132, and each carries at its end a nut 144 which backs up against a circular plate 146 that forms part of a closure means including a collar sleeve 148. The plate 146 is centrally apertured at 150 to accommodate the carrier tube 62. The plate may be welded or otherwise rigidly affixed to the collar or sleeve 148 so that the two form a cup enclosing a pair of coiled compression springs 152 which respectively encircle the threaded studs 140 and act between the plate 146 and the coupling part 132 to urge the coupling part toward the other coupling part 130, the springs thus constituting biasing means for normally maintaining the connected condition of the coupling 124.

The 'coupling ma'y be manually separated by shifting the carrier tube 62 to the right as seen in FIGURES 8 and 9, thus compressing the springs 152 so that the coupling part 132 may be moved an axial distance suificient to clear the coupling part slots 138 from the heads of the driving studs 136. When axial shifting in the amount noted has been attained, the tube 62 is rotated. Since the coupling part 132 is rigid on the tube 62, the coupling part will turn with the tube. Turning is in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 10, and the slots 142 accommodate this movement. It will be noted that clockwise turning as seen in FIGURE 10 is the same as clockwise movement as seen in FIGURE 2. The purpose of the disconnectible coupling is that the range of oscillation of the carriers about the respective shafts 44 and 46 is limited by engagement of the follower 126 in a rightward direction with the cage or housing portion 106 about the reversing cam or worm 102. Consequently, the amount of clearance obtainable between the elevated hone means and the respective band portions is not sufficient to enable proper cleaning of the bands. However, since the couplings 124 may be disconnected, movement of the hone means and carriers in a direction compatible with band disengagement and beyond the normal range of the hone means may be achieved. When the tube 62 and associated coupling part 132 are turned as indicated, after axial disengagement of the lugs 136 from the slots 138, the slots 138 are of course out of alinement with the lugs and upon release of the tube, the springs will tend to return the coupling part toward engagement. However, it obviously cannot rcengage, but the face of the coupling part 132 will engage the faces of the heads of the studs 136 and will automatically retain the parts in disengagement until re-engagement is required, which is achieved by reversing the procedure just described so that the slots 138 are again receivable of the studs 136.

The improvements thus provided afford advancements in design on the basic apparatus disclosed in my copending application, identified above, and render this basic structure even more commercially acceptable. The features disclosed here are designed primarily for incorporation in the earlier structure, but various modifications may be indulged in for adapting the principles of the invention to the specifically different structures, although structures having the same basic characteristics. These and other modifications will readily occur to those versed in the art, all without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In a bread slicer or the like employing a plurality of bands having lengthwise-running portions thereof generally parallel and coplanar with each other in a honing zone, the combination including: support means mounted on the slicer and projecting toward the honing zone; arm means projecting from the support means lengthwise of the band portions and toward the honing zone; first means connecting one end of the arm means to the support means; hone means disposed in the honing zone at the other end of the arm means and of elongated nature so as to traverse and engage a plurality of such band portion; and second means connecting the hone means to the arm means and including a pivot lengthwise of said band portions and intermediate the ends of the hone means for enabling rocking of the hone means as said hone means rides the band portions.

2. The invention defined in claim 1, in which: the first connecting means is releasable to enable adjustment of the arm means along the support means and transversely of the band portions.

3. The invention defined in claim 1, in which: the arm means is adjustable as to length.

4. The invention defined in claim 1, including: stop means on the arm means engageable with the hone means to limit rocking thereof.

5. In a bread slicer or the like employing a plurality of bands trained about drums and having lengthwiserunning portions thereof generally normal to the drum axes and generally parallel and coplanar with each other in ahoning Zone, the combination including: support means mounted on the slicer and projecting toward the honing zone; hone means disposed in the honing zone and of elongated nature and generally parallelling the drum axes so "as to traverse and engage a plurality of such band portion; and means mounting the hone means on the support for floating within limits about an axis lengthwise of said 'band portions while said hone means engages at least some of said band portions.

6. The invention defined in claim 5, in which: the mounting means includes a member on the support and including a first portion lying on said axis and a second portion spaced from said axis in a'direction lengthwise of the hone means, the hone means is pivoted to said first portion on said axis and said second portion includes stop means operative to limit rocking of the hone means about said axis.

7. The invention defined in claim 6, in which: the stop means is adjustable to enable selective variation in the amount of rockability of the hone means.

8. In a bread slicer or the like employing a plurality of bands having lengthwise-running portions thereof generally parallel and coplanar with each other in a honing zone, the combination including: a shaft rigid on the slicer and having its axis transverse to the band portions; drive means on the slicer, including a first coupling part coaxial with the shaft and arranged for oscillation about the shaft axis through a fixed range; a hone carrier rockably and axially shiftably carried by the shaft; hone means on the carrier for engagement with the band portions; a second coupling part coaxially fixed to the carrier adjacent to the first couping part; axially engageable and disengageable drive portions on said parts; means biasing the carrier and second coupling part axially toward the first coupling part to axially interengage the drive portions so as to incur oscillation of the carrier and hone means with the first coupling part whereby the hone means is cyclically engaged with and disengaged from the band portions; and said biasing means being yieldable for axial shifting of the carrier and second coupling part away from the first coupling part to disengage the drive portions so that the carrier and second part may be turned about said axis through an angular distance beyond said range in the direction of disengagement of the hone means from the band portions.

9. The invention defined in claim 8, including: means operative, upon turning of the carrier and second coupling part following axial shifting thereof away from the first coupling part, for releasably retaining said parts in separated relation.

10. The invention defined in claim 8, in which: the drive portion on one part includes a lug and the drive portion on the other part includes an opening axially receiving said lug, said lug being axially removable from said opening upon axial separation of the parts and being engageable with a face portion of said other part adjacent to said opening upon subsequent turning of the carrier and second coupling part whereby to releasably retain the axially separated condition of said parts.

11. In a bread slicer or the like employing a plurality of bands having lengthwise-running portions thereof generally parallel and coplanar with each other in a honing zone, the combination including: a shaft rigid on the silicer and having its axis transverse to the band portions; drive means on the slicer, including a first coupling part coaxial with the shaft and arranged for oscillation about the shaft axis through a fixed range; a hone carrier rockably carried by the shaft; hone means on the carrier for engagement with the band portion; a second coupling part coaxially rockable with the carrier adjacent to the first coupling part and axially shiftable toward and away from said first coupling part; axially engageable and disengageable drive portions on said parts; means biasing the second coupling part axially toward the first coupling part to axially interengage the drive portions so as to incur oscillation of the carrier and hone means with the first coupling part whereby the hone means is cyclically engaged with and disengaged from the band portions; and said biasing means being yieldable for axial shifting of the second wupling part away from the first coupling part to disengage the drive portions so that the carrier and second part may be turned about said axis through an angular distance beyond said range in the direction of disengagement of the hone means from the band portions.

12. The invention defined in claim 11, including: means operative, upon turning of the carrier and second coupling part following axial shifting of said coupling part away from the first coupling part, for releasably retaining said parts in separated relation.

13. The invention defined in claim 11, in which: the drive portion on one part includes a lug and the drive portion on the other part includes an opening axially receiving said lug, said lug being axially removable from said opening upon axial separation of the parts and being engageable with face portion of said other part adjacent to said opening upon subsequent turning of the carrier and second coupling part whereby to releasably retain the axially separated condition of said parts.

14. In a bread slicer or the like employing a plurality of bands having lengthwise-running portions thereof generally parallel and coplanar with each other in a honing Zone, the combination including: support means mounted on the slicer and projecting toward the honing zone; a mounting element rockable on the support means about an axis transverse to the band portions; arm means on the element and projecting therefrom lengthwise of the band portions and into the honing zone; hone means traversing the band portions in said zone and mounted on the arm means for engaging said band portions; drive means on the slicer; a drive connection operatively connected between the drive means and the element for oscillating the element about the aforesaid axis and through a fixed range for causing cyclical engagement and disengagement between the hone means and the band portions; and said drive connection being selectively disconnectible to enable rocking movement of the element and hone means in the disengaging direction through a distance exceeding the aforesaid range.

15. In a bread slicer or the like employing a plurality of bands having lengthwise-running portions thereof generally parallel and coplanar with each other in a honing zone, the combination including: a hone carrier disposed in the honing zone and having hone means engageable with the band portions; means mounting the carrier on the slicer for movement back and forth to cause cyclical engagement and disengagement between the hone means and band portions; and drive means on the slicer for moving the carrier as aforesaid and including a selectively disconnectible coupling normally connected to cause the carrier to move back and forth in a fixed range with the drive means for causing engagement and disengagement between the hone means and band portions, and said coupling being disconnectible to enable movement of the carrier independently of the drive means and in the direction of disengagement of the bone means from the band portions.

16. The invention defined in claim 15, in which: the means mounting the carrier includes a shaft transverse to the band portions whereby the back and forth movement of the carrier is oscillation about the axis of the shaft; the coupling includes coaxially separable parts, one connected to the drive means and the other connected to the carrier and biasing means yieldably urging said parts together to interengage for normally effecting oscillation of said carrier with the drive means, and said coupling further including enclosure means enclosing the biasing means and the coupling parts.

17. In a bread slicer or the like employing a plurality of bands trained about drums and having lengthwiserunning portions thereof generally normal to the drum axes and generally parallel and coplanar with each other in a honing zone, the combination including: support means mounted on the slicer and projecting toward the honing zone; hone means disposed in the honing zone and of elongated nature and generally parallelling the drum axes so as to traverse and engage a plurality of such band portions; and means mounting the hone means on the support for floating within limits about axes both transverse to and lengthwise of the band portions while said hone means engages at least some of said band portions.

18. The invention defined in claim 17, including: means biasing the hone means about one axis and toward engagement with the band portions.

19. The invention defined in claim 17, in which: drive means is provided for oscillating the hone means about the transverse axis for cyclical engagement with and disengagement from the band portions; and said mounting means includes a disconnectible coupling enabling movement of the hone means about said transverse axis independently of the drive means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,537,512 Crissey Jan. 9, 1951 2,753,936 MacChesney July 10, 1956 2,768,486 Jones et a1. Oct. 30, 1956 

